Mise En Place
Step 3: Second Fermentation
As evidenced by the adjoining photo, at this point (this point being about 20 hours after storage in the refrigerator) the dough has risen ever so slowly and has relaxed at room temperature for one hour. There are a couple bubbles, which is fine. It only means that the yeast is executing its proper marching orders and the dough (gluten) is keeping the troops in. The smell, once the bowl was unleashed of its plastic cover, could only be described as intoxicating only as flour, yeast, and water can be. It’s rather easy to be overcome by the sour scent with which the heavy bouquet wafts from the bowl. This is pure science at work for the simple sensation of satisfying the human taste bud.
Each batch of dough was removed from the bowl onto a generously floured work surface, formed into a log, and was dissected into three approximately equal parts. Each of the three parts were formed into little balls, much like the larger initial ball, and set to rest. After dusting the dough with flour, I covered them with a couple damp towels (lint-free, please…no one wants lint in their pizza dough) to rise for the next hour while the stove (loaded with a 15″ baking stone on the bottom, or close to the bottom rack) is heated to around 500 degrees. This process of the crust formation is known as second fermentation (or second-rising….however you want to look at it). The purpose is to continue the development of the rich flavor and to allow the individual balls of dough to fill with the airiness required to make the crust what it should be – delicious.
Step 4: Mise En Place
Never catch your own self off guard while you cook. This is the purpose born of the phrase mise en place – otherwise known as, “Make sure your shit is ready, man!” I can say with a certain amount of certainty that if you’re trying to make this bunch of pizza or, for that matter, anything that requires more than three steps, you’ll go down like a mob hit if your ingredients aren’t already prepared for use. Take the time to prepare yourself so that when you’re actually preparing your dish, you can concentrate on the preparation as opposed to where the hell your can of organic diced tomatoes went. Right…you just saw it in your pantry just this morning – and now your saffron rice has gone to shit and the kids are going to have to eat that stupid box of mac and cheese. Prepare yourself!
Pictured in the photo are the following ingredients: basil leaves, tomato sauce, chopped pepperoni, sliced prosciutto, kalamata olives and capers, carmelized onions (yes, I carmelized the onions yesterday), partially cooked mild Italian sausage (partially cooked because the blast of heat in the stove will finish the job), mozzarella fresca, and Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 years aged!) for garnish on some of the pies. I also take my ingredients seriously. I try to get what tastes the best and, of tanatmount importance, is ethical/sustainable. I talk to my meat providers and vegetable purveyors to learn about what I’m buying. Not only should my pizzas be ass-kicking, they should be good for you and for the earth.
My tomato sauce is simple. I throw no abundance of spices or herbs into the mix, nor do I cook it. It’s basic: San Marzano canned whole tomatoes that I crush by hand. I also add some tomato paste to thicken the sauce, but not to the point of sludge. Sludge is no good on pizza, but neither is a river of watery tomato juice. Balance is the key, my friends. I add a healthy pinch of sea salt, a small pinch of freshly ground black pepper, and a few flakes of crushed red pepper for some zing. That’s it….no oregano, no thyme, no garlic, no crazy stuff. This is pizza! Tomatoes, cheese, and crust with a minimum of toppings (of which I never do more than two, not counting the garnish of freshly torn basil…). Flavor, not quantity, is key here.
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